Chapter 4

A few days later, the sound of an ambulance coming into the bay could be heard as Abby walked across the street towards the ER. Neela and Morris rushed out to the ambulance.

"What do we have?" Morris asked, as the ambulance doors swung open.

"MVA, Sarah Bennet. 26 weeks pregnant, in labor and fully dilated."

"Abby, we could use a hand over here," Morris said as they wheeled the women into the ER. Abby griped the side of the handrail to the gurney.

"What are her vitals?

"BP is 120/40. Contractions three to four minutes apart."

They wheeled the gurney into the trauma room and took charge.

"I'll get a fetal heat monitor and start a bag of saline," Sam said.

Meanwhile, Abby started to work on the patient.

"Mrs. Bennet, I'm Doctor Lockhart, do you know what happened?" Abby checked the dilation of her pupils.

"Pupils are dilated. She must have hit her head on something. She is going to need a head CT."

"Where is my husband?" the women asked.

"I am sure they're taking good care of him. Do you know where you are?"

The women mumbled something incoherently.

"She's altered. We're defiantly going to need that head CT."

Just then, Sam walked in with a fetal heart monitor and started to strap it to the women's large stomach. The women pushed her hands away.

"What are you doing?"

"Mrs. Bennet, we need to monitor your baby's heart rate." Sam strapped the band to the women. Within minutes, there was a reading of the baby's heart rate.

"What is the heart rate?"

"In the 130's and dropping." Panic showed on Abby's face as she moved to the end of the bed and lifted the sheet. She was surprised to find that the baby's head was already crowning.

"The baby's crowning." Abby said as she positioned herself to deliver the baby. She looked up at the patient. "Mrs. Bennet, the baby is crowning. I need you to take a deep breathe in and push for me."

"No, not yet. I don't have the IV in yet." Sam chimed in.

"Sam, there is no time for that right now. We need to deliver this baby."

Abby looked up at the patient again. "Mrs. Bennet, I need you to take a deep breathe in and push." With that, the patient drew in a deep breath and pushed as Abby counted to ten. Abby watched in awe as the baby's small head slipped into her hands. Sam handed Abby a bulb to clear the baby's airway.

"Sam, can you find Luka? Tell him that we have a twenty-six week birth and that we need help."

"Sure. Should I also tell him to get a baby warmer from the NICU?"

"Yes." With that, Sam rushed to try and find Luka while Abby focused her attention back on the patient.

"Mrs. Bennett, I need you to push again," Abby bit her lip as more of the baby slipped into her hand. She knew from her years as an OB nurse that it didn't take a lot of time to deliver a baby of this size and she knew that Luka needed to get there quickly. As if on queue, Luka rushed through the doors of the trauma room.

"What can I do?"

"I am about to deliver this baby, I need you to check the baby over and then take the baby up to NICU."

"Sam, can you page the NICU and tell them that we have twenty-six weeker on the way up?"

"Sure," Sam responded as Abby turned her attention back to the patient.

"Mrs. Bennett, I need you to give me a little push so that I can deliver the rest of the baby." With that, the patient drew in a deep breathe and pushed as the rest of the baby slipped into Abby's hands. Knowing that every minute was vital in a situation like this, Abby swiftly handed the baby over to Luka so that he could asses its health. Moments later, Luka announced that the baby's breathing was shallow and that the AGAR was a three. Abby bit her lip, she knew that a three meant that the baby was in grave condition and needed treatment soon. Luka pushed the baby over towards Mrs. Bennett's bedside. She turned her head the opposite direction.

"Mrs. Bennett, would you like to see your son?" Luka asked.

"Where is my husband?" Abby lightly placed her hand on the patient's shoulder. In the mist of the whole situation, they had forgotten about the women's husband.

"I am sure that your husband is fine. I could check for you if you want."

"I would like that." Abby looked over at Sam and she immediately understood. She quietly left to go in search of information concerning the women's husband.

After the baby was checked over and sent up to the NICU, Abby returned to the desk to retrieve the chart of her next patient. She studied the chart; a thirteen year old girl who was presenting with signs of the flu. She approached the curtain and pulled it open.

"Hi, I am Doctor Lockhart, what's your name?"

"What do you care," the girl snapped back. Abby ignored the comment.

"Okay, then. What seems to be the problem?"

"I think I might be pregnant." Abby didn't see that one coming. She pulled up a stool and sat beside the girl.

"I am scared to tell my parents. If they found out they would kill me."

"First let's find out if you are really pregnant. In order to find that out I need to take a urine sample." Abby handed the girl the cup. The girl uneasily slid down from the exam table.

"The bathroom is down the hall to the right." Abby held her breath as the girl exited the room. What if they had a daughter and she turned out to be some rebellious teenager who became pregnant at the age of thirteen. Abby was startled out of thought when the girl came in and handed her the cup.

"I'll get this to the lab and then I'll be back with the results," Abby said as she left the room.

"Sam, can you make sure that this gets to the lab?" Abby asked as she handed Sam a bag containing the urine sample.

"Sure."

"Did you find anything out about the husband of the women who had the twenty-six weeker?"

Sam looked up from the chart she was studying. "He came in with a crushed spleen. They took him up to the OR a little while ago. No report yet as to how the surgery is going though."

"Okay, thanks." Abby said, as turned on her heals towards the doctor's lounge. Abby was relieved to see that there was still some coffee left. She went over and poured herself a cup along with adding sugar and cream. Luka quietly walked up beside her.

"Hi. Hard day?"

"Does the coffee give it away?" Abby teased.

Luka laughed.

"I just dealt with a thirteen year old patient who thinks she's pregnant. She's scared to tell her parents." Abby explained as she took a seat. Luka joined her across the table.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, any word on the condition of the baby you took up to the NICU?"

"He's doing okay for now but there's no guarantee."

Luka let out a long sigh. "I just hope that if he does survive, he has a place to go. The mother didn't seem like she wanted anything to do with the baby."

"Yeah, hopefully the mother will come around. We did our jobs, now it's up to the mother to do hers."